Hunter was targeting big boar, shot big buck instead
Mike Jones spent Christmas morning with his family, then enjoyed lunch before heading to a 100-acre piece of land in West Feliciana Parish he and his wife own.
A big boar had been creating havoc with his shooting lane, and he was hopeful for a chance at the pig that afternoon.
“The hog had been showing up on trail cameras late in the afternoon and there was an old box stand that was on the property when I bought it, and the hog was in the area I could see from that old stand,” Jones said.
Making the hour and fifteen minute drive from his home in Denham Springs, he loaded his gear on his side-by-side and motored back to hunt off the old stand.
“Our property is river bottom land with sloughs and ditches located some 600 yards from the Mississippi River,” he said. “Because of high water, I had to park my truck about 8 miles away and use the side-by-side to get to where I wanted to hunt.”
A big buck Jones had been watching for the past several years showed up the night before on a camera he had near the old box stand, so he was hoping for a chance at either the big hog or the big buck — or both.
“About 15 minutes before dark, I heard something walking up behind me. The old stand I was in had a brushy tree blocking the back window so I had trouble seeing what was walking up,” Jones said. “The wind was not favorable blowing from me to whatever it was walking up. I heard it stop and then run off. I got a glimpse as it ran and saw it was the big boar.”
Deciding to sit tight and see if perhaps the hog would circle around and make another appearance, Jones heard something walking again and assumed it was the pig. His trail camera sends messages to his phone when a photo is taken, and as he was reaching for his .300 Blackout rifle, his phone pinged. Checking the photo, it showed the big buck standing at his corn pile just 40 yards away.
“The buck was standing broadside, I got my scope on him and shot,” Jones said. “He ran off but I heard him crash just out of sight so I knew I had him.”
It then occurred to him that he was out there by himself and there was no way he could load up the buck alone, so he called a friend who was having Christmas dinner back in Denham Springs and told him of his dilemma. The friend eventually got up there and helped Jones load the deer, but the trip back to camp was not without problems, as he lost a tire on his side-by-side attempting to cross a ditch. With the help of more friends, repairs were made and the buck was finally transported back to camp.
Jones estimated the buck may have been as old as 8 ½ as he has had the deer on camera for several years. It weighed 216 pounds, and was a mainframe 8-point with stickers for a total of 13 scoreable points. Mass was heavy, with measurements between the G2 and G3 on one side at 7 inches. Although the rack has not been officially scored yet, Jones said the measurements were easily in the 160-range, probably higher.